APH: Wherever I May Roam
by Kirimizi
Summary: When does one know when trouble is coming? Is it when your betrayer shows up? Or is it when your best friend finds himself trapped in a decision? For Addonia, she didn't realize the signs until it was too late.


**APH: Wherever I May Roam (Alt.) Ch. I**

Let's try to explain the situation.

Trouble comes calling in so many different forms. It begins the same way it ends; in utter tragedy. Some however, don't encounter trouble in the same form. Like snowflakes, one will never be alike to the other.

Perhaps, that's just what life is.

An unavoidable trouble.

* * *

><p>The evening had just begun with the sun still barely showing at the edge of the sky.<p>

A young man walks out of his house and watches the remaining daylight turn darker by the second.

The time of the meeting was drawing close.

"Ivan, where is this place?" Another man his age came from behind him and asked.

"About ten miles into the city. I hope to bring Addonia back around midnight." Ivan responded, watching the remainder of the sun set behind the snow ridden mountains.

"Alright. Good luck then."

"Thank you." He said quietly. The other man turned back to the door.

"What's going to happen next?"

"I don't know Liet. Time will tell." He walked to his car and drove out of the driveway, towards the dimmest part of the sky.

The dark sky had finally settled in the city of Berlin and filled the night with nothing but a quiet breeze. Two people stood outside of the city's many buildings and took in the summer air.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Addonia, a woman about nineteen years old and 5'7", commented while leaning on the iron railing of the three-step staircase. Her friend nodded in agreement.

"Very." Ludwig, about 5'10" and recently turned twenty one himself, especially enjoyed the night.

"Something about the moonlight tonight just grabs my attention," Addonia smiled at the sight of the glimmering crescent.

"I can't explain it.." She sighed and gazed up at the stars, Ludwig's vision remained pointed towards the streets, his eyes darting in every other direction.

Not only was he expecting a guest, but he had to discuss something important with his close friend. Within the past few weeks, Addonia had already confronted him about his odd behavior, that something was amiss and planned on discussing the topic tonight.

"Ludwig, what's going on? I know I keep asking, but you just seem so..off." She turned around and faced him with concern in her words. He almost lost his breath when he heard those words come out of her mouth.

Both Ludwig and Addonia ran a business very common to their world; A mercenary guild. In other words, a small private army, but with a twist; Every guild is represented almost as a piece of their nation.

It was common for guilds to be used as their nations ultimate weapon. More lethal than any other weapon.

Supposedly, this was how the world solved it's problems, one country to the other.

As part of the recovering nation of Germany's guild, both Ludwig and Addonia work day and night to repair and restore both the guild and the nation as much as their power allowed, one step at a time.

However, change was on the horizon.

Truth be told, Ludwig did [what he considered] the unthinkable when he agreed to trade off his best friend.

Especially to the Soviet guild.

Their entire problem itself.

Although they worked hard to build their guild from the shambles they left it in, there seemed to be an unshakable feeling. One that was beginning to bring about certain, unwanted changes.

On that note, it was an offer to bring her into their guild.

An offer he felt would be best for the both of them.

At least, that's what he told himself.

"Is everything alright?" Addonia tried to catch his attention, snapping her fingers in his face.

"Hm? Oh. Yes," Ludwig hastily replied.

"To answer your question, it's just a rough year for us. You know, with recovery and all,"

"Ludwig." She interuppted.

"And I don't think things will get much better any time soon,"

"_Ludwig,_" She finally stopped him.

"I'm not talking about the team, I am talking about you. And this is what I mean, you're so antsy lately, it's starting to worry me."

This wasn't going to be easy whatsoever.

The words were just on the tip of his tongue before he heard footsteps. He turned to the other side of the railing and saw the smiling face of one of his worst enemies at the moment, a man who willingly turned against him for the sake of assisting another ally.

Ironically enough, he was also the one who had offered to bring in Addonia.

The name was Ivan. A platinum blonde man, height that rivaled his own and violet eyes that held the fear and attention of all that knew him.

"Is that who I think it is?" Addonia squinted her eyes in order to justify what she saw in front of her.

"Ivan?" She jumped over the railing and approached the man.

"Addonia, how long has it been?" He smiled as he remembered the last time they had seen each other two years ago, when the attack occurred.

"How are you?" She said recalling the night herself.

"I've had worse. And yourself?"

"Not much...still doing repairs." She stared at him for a good minute after. It was like the attack only happened yesterday.

"Well... I hope it's coming along." He looked away and tried closing the subject.

It wasn't a secret that he felt a sense of guilt after that attack. After all, it was a surprise attack...in the middle of the night.

In all honesty, he didn't have a choice.

Luckily, Addi and Ludwig were awake for the ambush, even with the miserable loss following.

Long story short, after two years, it was the sheer thought of an old friend so willing to attack them that kept tensions high.

"Anyways," Ivan continued.

"Ludwig, is everything ready?"

"I need more time to-"

"Hurry up then," Ivan grinned alongside his response.

Addonia looked back and forth between the two.

She was obviously missing something.

"Or would you prefer if I told her?"

"Tell me what?" She instantly shot another glare at Ivan.

"Addonia calm down and allow me to explain this.. I owe you that much.." Ludwig wasn't ready for this and he knew she wouldn't be either.

"I... I'm... I'm trading you off to the Soviets."

"...Excuse me?"

"You're leaving tonight for Moscow-"

"Fuck that shit! Do you remember what they did to us? Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"N-No, this isn't a safe place to be anymore." Addonia could not comprehend the amount of bullshit coming out of his mouth. At first, she was convinced this was a joke- until Ludwig started to cry.

"Neither of you are being funny whatsoever right now." She turned her back to both of them.

"This isn't a joke." Ivan didn't expect this situation to be this bad.

"This isn't happening.."

"Your things have already been moved to his house, it's much safer this way." By the end of his sentence, he was a sobbing mess.

"I'm not leaving. I wouldn't leave you behind like that." She put her hand of his shoulder in an attempt to reassure herself that this nightmare was not happening.

"Addi-" Ivan tried to intervene.

"Stay out of this, traitor! You lost the right to call me that after what you did!" She snapped. Ivan stared in shock after hearing that name and shut his mouth after that.

Ludwig knew this situation needed to come to an end. This was getting very out of hand very quickly.

"Stop fighting this, you're making this harder than it needs to be." He tried to reason with her. Addi took a deep breath and sat against the railing. Thought after thought raced through her head, unable to comprehend all of them at once.

A blank faced burden she couldn't understand. Why was this happening?

For the next few months, that would be the question that haunted her in every possible way.

"This isn't over. At least tell me why I need to leave, give me a reason."

Ludwig shook his head.

"Why not?" She just wanted an answer at this point.

"For your own good. That's all I can really tell you."

Silence followed between the three of them before Ivan took his chance to end the unexpected elonged confrontation.

"We should leave now before anyone finds us out here." Ivan said quietly, watching the two of them stare and analyze one another.

"Fine then, let's go." Addi turned her back on her old friend and began to walk down the sidewalk. Halfway down, she paused.

"Ludwig," She called out before turning around.

"Be careful." She softly smiled. He smiled in return and nodded. She trusted his judgement and of this was a decision of his own, then she would go along with it as long as she needed to. As her and Ivan walked towards the car parked across the street, the phrase echoed in Ludwig's thoughts once more.

_'For your own good.'_


End file.
